Tribute from three
by Yakamaniac
Summary: Long one-shot. The rebellion failed all those years ago and the games continued. After a row of victors district three were named Careers after the huge raise in funds and other things. This is the story of 'Turner' the second ever career from district three and how the games seem to end on the second day... And yes I am aware the cover image is screwed up


Tribute from three

**I wrote this over the course of a few months of when I was bored in school and since its the start of british summer I decided to post it!**

I stood glancing around, breaths jagged. I couldn't afford to be nervous or scared now! The clock was ticking, twenty four of us and only one comes out, shaking my head I attempt to move my mind onto something else but why? I have to face reality, I may be with the careers but we're all in it to win it!

3,2 the clock is almost over, I look at the other careers who nod and smile at me, great, they know I'm scared and that is not good! I drop my head but only for a moment to remind myself of my district and pride, I'm from district three, one of the newly named official careers. District three never used to be careers and even if we joined them they wouldn't usually last long but now we have official training, and I won't let it go to waste.

1…

A loud sound echoes and we all run forward towards the cornucopia, a few of the other tributes run off into the surrounding areas grabbing some of the packs laying around but I have my eyes on the weapons.

I continue run forward avoiding the other tributes, I'm not as strong as the people from one and two but I darn well aim to make my mark! Diving into the cornucopia I attempt to grab the bow but the girl from five unaware of my presence grabs it, with a swift blow to the head I knock her down! I grab a knife off the weapon rack and drive it through her head, the first cannon sounds.

Twisting on my heels I see the other careers attacking some of the other tributes, I see the two from four and doing well. Apparently the guy from two already has a sword; there must have been one lying around close.

I realise for about a minute I've just been standing staring at the others, I pull myself back into reality and load my bow. The male from five notices his tribute partners' body lying next to me with blood surrounding her; he roars almost like a lion and charges towards me. Big mistake.

Without any effort I fire the arrow into his chest, knocking him to the ground, I'm about to move to go finish him off when I feel a large force tackle me and pin me to the ground!

Male from eleven, he has pure hatred in his eyes and large muscle mass, I'm definitely in trouble!

Struggling for a few seconds he quickly gains the upper hand, the man pulls out a knife and is about to strike when a spear is pierced through his head and lands just mere inches away from my face!

Cannon sounds; I push his lifeless body off me and jump back to my feet picking up my bow and quiver. Two more cannons echo through my ears, the tributes are definitely dropping like flies this year.

Girl from one takes off the final none career in this blood bath, taking a quick look around I'm surrounded by corpses, the guilt hits me but I don't show it, I am not showing any more weakness than what I already have…

We quickly gather the bags left around us, there are ALOT of supplies to keep us going until we are the last few. Searching the forest we found a single female tribute that shrieked and ran but unluckily got away.

We have a scout around to find anymore tributes but no luck so we decide to set camp and open up all our bags and check the contents. A few tents, some supplies and knives, this seems well enough.

Lucky enough I'm not set on watch duty for the night, but still I'm nervous, what If I'm killed in my sleep or we are ambushed? I opt to take a double watch with the male from two and he glares at me, but agrees. We sit there in silence, twitching at the most quite of noises in the forest. A sense of awkwardness in the air, now of all times, in the arena!

Until he breaks the silence, "Name's Cano"

"I'm Turner" I spit out, he just hums in reply.

Shifting slightly I reach for a bag of food, grab an apple and take a large bite out of it. He glares at me once again. "Want one?" I ask, he nods. Picking out a random apple I toss it over, he almost misses it but catches it before it hits the ground.

I chuckle but he simply glares at me again and I seal my lips, wow I'm terrified, well I have a perfectly good reason, he's stronger than me, large muscles, faster and is holding a sword in his right hand! He takes a large bite out of his apple while still glaring at me with an intimidating stare.

We sit in awkward silence, he keeps his imitating glare on me, and he's purposely trying to unnerve me, why? Is he going to lunge, I'm armed to defend myself so he can give it his best shot.

The girl from two emerges from her tent, long blonde hair flopping below her shoulders, her eyes shift between us. "What can you do?" She asks, I realise she is directing the question at me.

"Oh well" Crap, what was I good at? "I'm a good aim with a bow" I reply, its not a lie, I am a perfect shot, but that's about it, I'm not fast, I'm not strong and I'm not all that smart.

"Really? A bow, and your from three? Aren't they suppose to be good with machines or something?" She asks. The girl had a point, most of us were amazing at technology but of course I'm not like others, I was never that smart or any good at anything, unless it involves a projectile then I can be useful.

"Yeah I'm not like the others, what about you?" Drat I wish I never asked, she scowls at me I wont be surprised if she slits my throat about now.

"I'm fast and I throw a spear pretty well" She smiled as if she is bragging.

"And I'm a good fighting and I know how to use a sword" The male from two stands up glaring down at me.

I feel l like I've said something wrong, crap he really looks scary. I shift slightly and raise my head, we make awkward eye contact and he snarls like a dog then retreats. But the girl is still glaring at me. For a few minutes she didn't move but the blonde decided to follow the boy.

Apparently I'm left, guarding the two from one and the two from four. I don't know them, why don't I just kill them now? But I have a feeling that it wouldn't go my way.

So I just sit and stare, twitching at the slightest noise. I'm not left alone for long, the girl from four emerges. The girl pauses for a moment, lifting her head slightly allowing the wind to blow across her face.

She had dark brown hair tied into a pony tail, tanned skin and ocean emerald eyes. She seems oblivious to the reality but yet her stern face says otherwise finally the girl turns towards me and checks me over to see if I'm any threat at this moment.

I glance at her, our eyes meet. "So you're from three?" The girl speaks.

"Yeah, I'm not like the others" I answer, wait why did I say that?

"I noticed, most of the ones from three would usually be dead already" She still keeps her stare at me, what is she playing at? Did she expect me to die? Wait I recognise her, in the interview and training scores, we have the same chance of victory.

"I'll have you know we have the same chance of victory" I blurt, but I don't regret it, what's her problem?

"Number's are nothing to me" Her glare grows heavy; I can feel her piercing me with invisible blades.

"The capitol thinks otherwise" I reply, she is definitely not impressed.

"Screw the capitol, all the want is a good show, I damn well am going to leave me mark here" A large frown is now placed on her face; I really think she is ready to pounce and kill me.

"Yeah, screw the Capitol, they put us here, they should be put in here" I say, avoiding the fact that she said she pretty much wants to kill us all violently.

"Trout! Get out here" She shouts, I flinch but within seconds the male from four emerges from a tent, he is a little taller than me, long blonde hair and once again shining emerald eyes and his names apparently Trout, how ironic.

Why does it seem like all these tributes want to have a chat with me! I wish I kept my mouth shut from that boy from two now.

"Turner is it?" She asks, "Fancy taking some of these supplies and bolting?"

Wait, she can't possibly mean stealing supplies from the others and running? And taking me with them! "Yeah come on, we can run for it, take some weapons too, bring your district partner" Trout grins.

They seem pretty confident, why not? "I'll get Claudia and we'll get out of here" I nod, I will most likely regret this. Wait Claudia, I haven't even said two words to her yet ever since the day before the games, I know she's sat in the tent behind me, I feel bad about it.

Slowly unzipping the tent I pop my head inside and spot Claudia already asleep in her sleeping bag. I reach my hand in and gently shake her; she awakes with a low moan, her light brown hair a mess and sparkling brown eyes filled with confusion.

"Claudia come on, get up" I drag her out, we quickly pack away the tent, I grab my bow and she grabs a boomerang and quickly steal some supplies, the pair from four seem ready too so we head off into the forest abandoning the other careers.

"So what's your name?" I finally ask the female from four.

"My name, my name is Coral" Really Ironic names, I think maybe the people from four are very unimaginative.

"Ironic" I smirk.

"Shut up" Coral frowns.

These trees seem endless, it's even harder to know where we are since its pitch black, they couldn't have waited till morning I'm terrified in case I walk into a tree or something.

Dark skies loom over us, the silent wind blows through the tree's hauntingly. Our venture continues when a nearby fire lights a few trees, its ether a stupid person or a trap.

"Let's check it out!" Trout calls, okay so two mistakes, taking too many risks so far and he's shouting, we may be careers but we can't compare to one and two.

"I think we should be quieter and check it out" Claudia spoke.

We take silent steps towards the fire, two tributes are sitting around the fire with a small box of supplies and each armed with knives. Could we take them? They don't seem to know exactly what there doing…

Nothing happens for a few seconds until Coral and Trout go charging in recklessly screaming, ohhh great. I inspect what there wearing the same as us, apart from there from district eight.

Shrieks and battle cries echo through the forest, but it isn't long until the first cannon sounds; Coral slashes the female across the throat, her blood gushing onto the ground.

I turn and face Claudia who's hiding behind a tree, fear filled her eyes. Trout seems to be struggling with the male, I load by bow and take aim, and just as he punches Trout to the ground I fire the arrow into his chest.

The boy dropped to the ground like bricks. Trout jumped up and stabbed him in the head to make sure he was dead and finally the cannon echoed.

Coral began jumping and cheering over the victory, we quickly snagged the box of supplies and headed back off into the forest. I turn around and see the hovercraft picking up there dead bodies, I wonder what they want with the bodies?

"Alright let's set camp here" Coral says as she drops to the ground and lay down.

"Can we not pitch some tents?" I question, she glares at me and shakes her head.

I can't be bothered to argue with her, it seems nether of us can, we drop to the ground. It takes me a while to fall asleep but when I finally do it must have been for a while, I wake up refreshed and to the smell of cooking meat.

Trout and Claudia are kneeling in front of a fire cooking some meat, hopefully for all of us. Coral is still sound asleep kneeling against a tree.

Slowly bringing myself to my feet I shuffle over inhaling deeply to catch every inch of the smell.

Claudia smiles and passes me some cooked meat; I can't be bothered to identify it so I just wolf it down. Trout lifts his head and smiles at me, a welcoming good morning smile, almost as if we aren't in the arena.

I feel that if we had all met in different circumstances we could have all been friends, great friends too. But of course the capitol doesn't care, all they want is entertainment.

"She looks silent for a change" Trout chuckles glancing over at Coral.

"Makes a nice change" Claudia laughed.

"I heard that" Coral mumbled, obviously still sleepy.

"Good" I join in, which of course I am rewarded with giggles from Trout and Claudia.

Once Coral awakes and eats some food we grab our supplies and head off into the forest, there are eleven of us left.

The only sounds I can hear are our feet and the singing of mocking jay's mimicking the strange songs of the trees. We wonder the forest until we find ourselves back at the cornucopia…

It's completely flushed of supplies, but a few weapons still lay on the racks. "Hey look at that!" Claudia points to the weapon rack, she's pointing to a boomerang, her weapon of choice, what she was trained with.

"Let's go get it" I say.

"Fine but make sure you don't die along the way" Coral sighs.

We hastily make our way over to the weapon rack; images of the bloodbath filled my mind. Claudia snatches the boomerang with a giant smile across her face. She's so innocent, the youngest one in the group only age fourteen.

I hear cheers coming from behind us, I swing around to find Coral and Trout also spun around facing three tributes that are making there way over to us, they are all armed with swords. The district ten and eleven males and the district twelve female.

As I suspected Coral and Trout go charging in, two against three that's not fair, so lets make It four against three!

I go charging in, I load my arrow into the bow as I run; Claudia draws her boomerang and tosses it through the air!

My arrow hits the eleven male, who is the one who tackled me at the bloodbath, it slices his chest causing him to stumble but not fall, he definitely has a warrior spirit. He has his sword clashed with Coral who's fighting with all her might.

Claudia's boomerang strikes the girl from twelve, she was also the girl who we chased at the first day but shrieked and ran, and I wonder what made her have a change of heart?

I attach the bow to the strap on my waist and quickly run back to the weapon rack to grab the sword and I run charging in yelling.

Trout seems to be having an advantage over the male from ten, but the girl from twelve is charging at Claudia who is defenceless up close!

I began charging at the girl from twelve who is now chasing Claudia who is luckily a fast runner; I am not so far behind the girl from twelve when she pulls out a throwing knife! "No!" I call, but just as she throws the knife I'm close enough and I stab her through the chest.

I raise my head and watch in horror as the knife pierces through Claudia's skull. Two cannons echo. "NO!" I cry.

Coral and Trout quickly turn; they watch me run over to Claudia's limp form. But they return to there own battles, Trout finishes off the boy from ten by slashing his rib cage open, the boy's guts spilled onto the floor and the cannon follows.

Male from eleven scrambles, he punches Trout causing him to stumble and then runs off into the forest. "Damn it Trout!" Coral screams.

"Sorry" Trout grumbles as he gets back to his feet.

I rise back to my feet; my eyes are still on Claudia's dead body. I promised her family I'd let her win, guilt and sorrow fill me from the bones.

"Turner!" I hear Coral call; I slowly turn around and face her.

The three of us stood standing, we never moved, even breathed. Just looking at our dead ally. But our silence was broken by a nearby shout and a cannon quickly following, the voice belonged to the district eleven male.

Wait, that means the other careers are close! They will definitely be angry…. I spot the hovercraft arriving over head, time to get out of here!

"Run!" I call, Coral and Trout seem to comply and we begin running through the trees.

It feels like we've been running for an hour or so, my legs give in beneath me and I fall and land face first in the ground.

"Come on Turner move it!" Coral kicks me edging me to get up, but I can't, I've lost it, I've lost the will to go on.

"Don't worry" I hear Trout say, I have a bad feeling. I'm expecting them to stab me right here and then, might end it a bit sooner. But, wait? I'm being lifted into the air!

I lift my head to see that now Trout is now carrying me! He smiles at me, I feel a pout on my face, I feel like a child again, somehow I have the will to move again.

"Put me down" I groan.

"No!" He frowns. Darn he is adamant to keep me alive.

Forget it, I'm not going to struggle, I just stay here until they stop and he drops me down, I land straight on my backside.

"Look out" I hear Coral call, panic in her voice.

I slowly get to my feet and raise my head; the other careers are standing in front of us weapons drawn!

"Well well well" The male from two smirks down at me.

"What do you want Cano!" I grit through my teeth.

"To win, like all of us" The girl from one steps forward.

"Only one can win you know" Coral smirks, I think I know what she's planning to do…

There are a few nervous glances in the other careers, "Yeah, only one, so who is it going to be?" I grin.

"Me!" The four of them shout simultaneously. This could be interesting…

They glare at each other, clutching there weapons tighter with bloodlust and anger filling there eyes. I stepped back, Coral and trout mimicked.

Suddenly all the others turned against each other! The boy from two was the first one; he swung his blade and sliced the female from two, across the stomach. With blood spilling from her gut she pierced him with her sword. It became a brawl between the four!

The first to fall was the female from one, who was beheaded by her district partner.

Next was the district one boy whose neck was broken by the boy from two.

Third it was the girl from two, who grew weak from blood and she fell to the ground and her district partner finished the women off by stabbing her through the skull.

He raised his head and glared at me, rage filling him. "I will win!" He roared.

Cano charges forward towards me, I raise my sword to guard, there's a rush going through my body, I might die here, I can't overpower him!

But before he hits me I am tackled to the ground! Not by Cano, by someone else?

I glance upwards, Coral had tackled me away and she had taken a stab to the lower stomach? But now she is fighting the man, there swords clash together, she somehow manages to match his strength.

"Go!" She yells, Trout runs over to me and yanks me back to my feet.

"Come on!" He yanks my arm and begins pulling me through the forest away from Coral.

"No we can't leave her!" I resist and attempt to pull him back but it's useless. I keep my stare back to them fighting watching them constantly clash swords and somehow overpower each other. She seems really bent on keeping me and Trout safe, she could have won on her own, she has the strength and willpower so why is she pretty much giving herself a death sentence?

I shriek as I watch the scene unfold, they both stab each other in the chest simultaneously, but Coral drops to the floor with blood spilling from her mouth and chest.

I wasn't the only one who watched because I spot Trout now running towards Cano with his sword drawn. I run over to Coral who isn't dead yet, she's coughing a lot of blood.

"No no no Coral no!" He pant as I check the wound to her chest, it has done too much damage and she's lost too much blood, it's inevitable, she's going to die…

"Promise me something" She coughs, she shouldn't be speaking, I have to keep her around longer, I can't say good bye yet, even though we've only known each other a few days.

"You or Trout will win" Coral coughs.

"But there's only one victor!" I shout.

"I only want one of you two to win, Cano doesn't deserve it"

"Coral no, I can't kill Trout!" shake her, what is she saying, is she suggesting me and Trout fight to the death?

"Just… win" She whispers with her final breath, her head falls down and the cannon sounds.

I kneel still for a few minutes before I jump back into reality by the shouts of Trout and Cano from district two still fighting.

I'm going to end this! I quickly rise to my feet, load my bow and take aim…

He's quick but my aim wont let me down, I release the arrow, the next few moments seem like they take years, but finally the arrows pierces Cano's neck, he stumbles and gags for air, his giant paws grab the arrow and yank it out. Blood gushes out from his neck, he begins to panic ad gag for air until he falls to the ground followed by a cannon.

Trout makes his way over next to me and stares down at the body of Cano. We know what we must do, fight to the death. But I can't kill him; we've been through so much even if it was only a day.

I see him out the corner of my eyes pull out his blade with his head hung low. No, I am going to go out fighting. I quickly pull out my blade and face him.

Within seconds our swords are clashing, but of course he has the other hand. He pushes me down to the ground and points the sword to my neck. But howls and roars echo in the distance. Mutts!

Trout spins around on his feet and dives out the way, I am about to lean up when something jumps onto me and pins me down with force.

I open my eyes and spot a bloodthirsty wolf glaring down at me, but the face, so familiar… Dark brown hair and green eyes, no! They've turned Coral into a mutt, well this is it…

Before I can react she sinks her teeth into my neck ripping out a lump of my flesh… It isn't long before my vision fades and I feel the life slowly leaving my body.

Well done Trout, you win, I'm happy for you.


End file.
